International Music Festival 37
|return = |withdraw = |vote = Each country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting |null = |winner = |pre = 36 |nex = 38 }} International Music Festival 37, often referred to as IMF 37, will be the thirty-seventh edition of the International Music Festival. The contest will be held in Australia, due to Sia's victory in the previous edition. Syndey will be hosting the conest for the first time in history. Location Sydney /ˈsɪdni/ is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds the world's largest natural harbour, and sprawls towards the Blue Mountains to the west. Residents of Sydney are known as "Sydneysiders". Sydney is the second official seat and second official residence of the Governor-General of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia and many federal ministries maintain substantial presences in Sydney. The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians for at least 30,000 years. The first British settlers, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the mid-19th century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural and economic centre. As at June 2015 Sydney's estimated population was 4.92 million. In the 2011 census, 34 percent of the population reported having been born overseas,3 representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home. Despite being one of the most expensive cities in the world, the 2014 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranks Sydney tenth in the world in terms of quality of living, making it one of the most livable cities. It is classified as an Alpha+ World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, indicating its influence in the region and throughout the world. Ranked eleventh in the world for economic opportunity, Sydney has an advanced market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing and tourism. Its gross regional product was $337 billion in 2013, the largest in Australia. There is a significant concentration of foreign banks and multinational corporations in Sydney and the city is promoted as Asia Pacific's leading financial hub. In addition to hosting events such as the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney is amongst the top fifteen most-visited cities in the world, with millions of tourists coming each year to see the city's landmarks. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, and the Royal Botanic Garden. Man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are also well known to international visitors. Venue The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia. It is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive buildings. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The government of New South Wales, led by the premier, Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction. The government's decision to build Utzon's design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect's ultimate resignation. The building and its surrounds occupy the whole of Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, between Sydney Cove and Farm Cove, adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and close by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Though its name suggests a single venue, the building comprises multiple performance venues which together are among the busiest performing arts centres – hosting well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people. Performances are presented by numerous performing artists, including four resident companies: Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, more than eight million people visit the site annually, and approximately 350,000 visitors take a guided tour of the building each year. The building is managed by the Sydney Opera House Trust, an agency of the New South Wales State Government. On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Participating countries 67 countries have confirmed to take part in the edition. Numerous countries are returning or debuting this edition, following the contest's extension by the International Broadcasting Union. Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Uzbekistan are set to return the the contest. Moreover, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Singapore will make their debut in the edition. Cyprus, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Hungary,Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovakia have announced their withdrawal of the edition. Returning artists Anselmo Ralph , who represents Angola, previously took part for Portugal in the eighth edition. GJan represented Lithuania in the eighth and twenty-ninth edition. Brooke Fraser represented New Zealand in the twenty-fourth edition. Former winner Sara Serena represented Spain in the thirty-second edition. Tove Lo represented Sweden in the fourteenth and thirty-fifth editions. Anna Rossinelli took part for Switzerland in the fifth and fourteenth editions. Emeli Sandé already took part for Scotland in the thirty-first edition. Confirmed countries Finalists Voting grids Incidents Swiss entry change On December 30, SRG/SSR announced that Anna Rossinelli's song would be changed. Her previous, national selection winning entry, was removed for "Speechless". Other countries : Further information: List of countries in the International Music Festival Countries that are active members of the International Broadcasting Union (IBU) are also eligible to participate in the International Music Festival. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below. Active IBU members * : On January 2, ERT revealed that the country is not going to return due to financial difficulties. A return for the thirty-eighth edition is likely. * : LTV stated on October 11 that their decision about participating at the next edition would be decided after the semi-final. * : RTL announced on January 2 that they will withdraw due to budget issues and problems between the members of the delegation. * : On October 15, RTVS revealed that they're unsure about a participation in the up-coming edition due to disagreements with the decisions of the IBU. External links * Forum